Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1887-09-07
SHAKESPEARE OR BACON.
Ignatius Donnelly Would Rob the Bard
Of Avon OF His Fame with Com.
mon CIPHER.
Elaborate Exposition Of the Forthcoming
Volume by q Critic Extracts from
the Work.
New York speciAl,I


the Work.
New York special
The New York World prints very
elaborate exposition of Mr.. fgnatius Dom
nellys attempt to dethrone Shakespeare,
and award the honor Of the so-called
Shakespeare plays to Lord Bacon. The
article is written by Professor Thomas
Davidson, a well-known scholar, philoso-
pber and critic, whose opinion as to Mr..
Donnellys work can not fail to carry great
weight.
Mr.. Davidson has recently paid Mr..
Dennelly visit OF his home at Hastings,
Minn., examined the. manuscript of his
forthcoming work. the Great Cryptegrafn,s
had the main features OF the cypher ex-
planned to him, and obtained permission to
report. Refore examining MIR. Donnelly's
work Mr.. Davidson was on entire skeptic in
regard to tho Bacon theory; but he now ad-
mlts that he is very much shaken in his
belief that the plays were written
by Shakespeare, and declares that if
they had come down to us without any
authors name attached, they would Lave
been unhesitatingly attributed to Bacon.
He says he reached this conviction alto
gether apart from the cypher. The articles
give brief summary of the results reached
in MIR. Donnelly's book, which is TO be
published about the 1st of December. The
book is divided into two partisan argu-
ment and demonstration. The former
collects, arranges, and sums up all the
arguments that have been put forward in
the last thirty years in favor of the
Baconian theory, and adds large number
to them. The author first endeavors to
chor 1f
William Shakespeare we're such that it is
even ridiculous to imagine that he could
have written plays which are distilled from
oil the wisdom and learning of the world.
lie SLOWS that his education must have
been extremely meager, while that of the
author of the plays was broad and deep.
He emphasizes the fact that we have no
record OF any study on the part Of Shak-
speare.
His account of Shakspeare's character
will certainly be surprise to most reader.
He shows him to have been stepped in al
most every kind of vice, to have been a
fornicator, an adulterer, usurer and op-
pressor of the poor, q drunkard, system
attic liar, and forger of pedigrees, dying in
the prime of life from the results of
three days drunken spree. He next shows
that We lave no record that Shakespeare
that not a single scrap of manuscript of his
ever came down to us, not even n letter to
any Of the numerous men with whom he is
known to have been acquainted nay, more,
that there is extant no letter addressed to
him, except one asking for loan of money.
There is nothing to show that Shakespeare
was not very illiterate.
Mr.. Donnelly next proves very clearly
that while the author of the plays was an
accomplished lawyer, there is nothing to
show that Shakespeare ever opened law
book. or was inside n lawyers office, except
on usurious business.
Having demonstrated to his own salts
faction that the author of the plays was
ceeds to prove that he was Bacon. After
saa~>..e As.a~--. - -a----aL.s p-~-.--
q poet, and the author Of the plays, and q
profound and learned philosopher, he treats
Of the geography of the plays, and here he
brings out some most tell-tale facts. While
neither Stratford (where Shakespeare was
born) nor Avon is ever once mentioned in
the plays. st. Albans, the home of Bacon.
is mentioned twenty three times. He next
shows that the politics and the religion of
the writer Of the plays are identical with
Bacon's politics and religion. and that what
Bacon declared to be his great life purpose
is fully exemplified in the plays.
A chapter is devoted to Bacon's reasons
for concealment, and here come out some
startling facts. 1t appears not only that
Bacon wrote works which he never public
ly acknowledged, but that he is addressed
by one of his friends as the greatest wit in
England, though not known as such by his
own name. Among the reasons for con-
cealment, MIR. Donnelly puts the political
tendency Of some of the plays, which was
to encourage treason.
The first part of the work closes with @
long list of parallelisms between Bacon's
acknowledged works and the ShakspearaAn
plays, identical expressions metaphors,
opinions, quotations, studies, errors, use
Of unusual words, character, style, etc.
The parallelisms will occupy over seventy
closely printed pages. The result of the
whole argument according to MIR. David
son, is 10 leave upon the mind strong i'm
preston that, if Bacon was not the sole
author of the plays, he had at least prin-
cipal hand in them, supplying the scholar
ship, the art. and the philosophy.
After the argument making the author
ship Of Bacon probable comes the demon
stration, that is, the cipher narrative,
which has already aroused SO much inter-
est in the public. Mr.. Dayidson's article
tells how Mr.. Donnelly came to look for Q
he finally found it las he believcs), The
story is full of interest
As to the cipher itself, Mr.. Davidson
does not claim to be in o position to en-
tirely satisfy the public, not having re-
ceived from MI. Donnelly the ultimate
formula Of it. He does, however, express
his strong conviction that Mr.. Donnelly is
neither q fraud nor crank" To clear
away any feeling of this sort on the part Of
the public, he gives brief account Of Mr..
Donnelly's career, and description of his
simple home life in Minnesota. It seems
that Mr.. Donnelly is quiet, genial, coun-
try-loving studious man, devoted to
thought, and fond OF good joke. The
picture drawn Of his life on the Mississippi
bluff is charming. 1t being certain that
Mr.. Donnelly is not a fraud, and not like
ly, his character and intelligence being
taken into account, to be self deceived,
Mr.. Davidson hardly sees how the con-
clusion that the cipher is reality can be
avoided. He, however. suspends his own
judgment until Mr.. Donnelly has said his
last word. About the cipher itself, much
new information is given. Its basis, num-
bers, and its modifiers are disclosed, and
it is shown whence they are derived. In
formation is also given as to how the cal
culations are made, and assurance is made
excepting possible clerical errors they are
correct. Some notion of the labor gone
through by Mr.. Donnelly may be obtained
from the statement that the slips Of paper
on which he has made his calculations
Che writes a find hand and on both
sides OF the Slip when tied up in a
bundle, can with difficulty be lifted
from the floor by a strong man using one
hand. Four essential points Mr.. Davidson
declares that Mr.. Donnelly still reserves to
himself First, the rule determining the
succession Of the basis numbers: second.
the rule determining the uss of the various
modifers; third. the rule determin ng the
column or page on which the count in each
case is made; fourth, the rule determining
the starting point OF the count in each case